By way of the Coyotes morning skate, where the Great One weighed in on the state of his team, here’s Shane Doan on his former teammate Fred Sjostrom:

“You’d be hard-pressed to find someone more liked in our room than Freddie,” Doan said. “He’s such a great guy. Everybody loves him. You really cheer for him. He’s one of those guys that everyone cheers for, except for tonight. Every other night, we cheer for him.”

For the record, my repeated lobbying for Sjostrom to get more prominent ice time has nothing to do with the fact that he’s a nice guy. But that happens to be the case.

After five games out of the lineup with an ankle injury, Scott Gomez will make his return tonight against Phoenix, in which he is expected to skate on a line with Chris Drury and Ryan Callahan.

“We’re going to give it a go,” Tom Renney said.

It was worth asking Renney whether Gomez’s return had anything to do with the team’s struggles of late, even if the team has been adamant in the past about not rushing injured players back into the lineup.

“We’re 14-7,” said Renney, leaving out the two overtime losses. “He’d have to be ready to go. I wouldn’t rush anybody’s return. I wouldn’t jeopardize anybody’s career, nor would I jeopardize a loss by putting a guy in the lineup that shouldn’t be there.”

So there you have it. Gomez’s return will come at the expense of Nigel Dawes, who despite having a couple of chances against Ottawa (including one in which he missed a half-open net), will be a scratch. Petr Prucha and Patrick Rissmiller, who is back from Hartford (after registering seven assists in six games), will also be out.

With that in mind, the lines and defensive pairings will be what I reported yesterday.

Drury-Gomez-Callahan

Naslund-Dubinsky-Zherdev

Voros-Korpikoski-Fritsche

Sjostrom-Betts-Orr

Redden-Girardi

Mara-Kalinin

Staal-Rozsival

It will be the first game this season that Paul Mara and Marc Staal have not been a pairing.

The King is back on his throne after his five-goal shelling against Vancouver last week.

“I would think it served him well,” Renney said of the goaltender getting a few days to rest since then. “I certainly hope so—that’s why we did it.”
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As for Prucha, Renney acknowledged that the player’s extended absence from the lineup has been a concern. What he didn’t mention is that Prucha is the type of player would love to unload if they could ever get a reasonable offer in return.

Of course, it’s hard to move a guy who makes $1.6 million and isn’t playing; and I don’t think the Rangers are willing to accept something as little as a mid-round pick in return.

But it makes no sense to hold onto a guy like that if he isn’t going to play.
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Meanwhile, after all the fanfare for Wade Redden and Markus Naslund last week, Fred Sjostrom isn’t expecting the same when it comes to his first game against the Coyotes. But it’s significant to him nonetheless.

“Markus and Redds were there for 10-plus years. I was there for 3 1/2. It’s special to me. It’s the team I got drafted by and still have a lot of friends on. But I’m going to approach it like any other game. But I obviously want nothing more than to beat them, that’s for sure,” Sjostrom said. “And our team right now, we need a win. It’s a big game in a lot of ways.”

More later…

Every day is a new day in the life of a hockey team. It’s why yesterday, less than 24 hours after being humiliated in Ottawa, the Rangers were still in a playful mood—none louder than Scott Gomez, who sat at his stall in the locker room and ribbed everyone from Henrik Lundqvist about his romantic life to me about my big ears.

If you’re looking for signs of despondence from a team that has lost two straight and is beginning to come back to the pack, I’d say they’re not there yet. But give it some time. As much as Tom Renney made the case yesterday that the problems his team faces begins and ends with them, it would be that much more humbling to lay eggs against opponents that sit squarely in the league’s bottom tier (which is how you’d describe the Rangers next three opponents).

How much would a possible return of Scott Gomez help? Some, for sure. Like I said earlier, Gomez isn’t a savior. But for a team that got stood up time and again in the neutral zone on Saturday, Gomez is the player who can consistently deliver the puck deep. What the Rangers do with it from there is another story. But should the center return—we should know for sure in a couple of hours—it could be a spark a listless team needs.

But a spark only goes so far. What do the Rangers do about their two struggling defensemen saddled with exorbitant contracts? What do they do with an inactive and now irrelevant Petr Prucha? At what point does Aaron Voros complete the loop from fourth-liner to leading scorer back to fourth-liner (if Renney says he’s worried about Fred Sjostrom playing up a line and out of his depth, why doesn’t the same logic apply to a player who had seven career NHL goals prior to this season?)?

So many questions. To be sure, the season won’t turn on three games in late November. But it could offer an important window into what this team is all about.

More from the skate later…

Scott Gomez took part in a full practice today, and was even subjected to a few minutes of jostling with Colton Orr along the boards to see how his ankle would hold up.

The early returns were positive, to the extent that should Gomez not have any sort of adverse reaction this evening or tomorrow morning, you can expect him to return tomorrow night against the Coyotes.

“I’m cautiously optimistic, but we’ll see how he’s doing in the morning,” Tom Renney said.

If Gomez returns, you can also expect to see him back on a line with Chris Drury at wing. That’s at least how Renney had the team practicing today.

Here were the lines:

Drury-Gomez-Callahan

Naslund-Dubinsky-Zherdev

Voros-Korpikoski-Fritsche

Sjostrom-Betts-Orr

In this scenario, it looks like Nigel Dawes and Petr Prucha would be the scratches.

The Rangers also looked like they were practicing with new defensive pairings, with Michal Rozsival with Marc Staal and Dmitri Kalinin with Paul Mara. The only unit that stayed intact was Wade Redden and Dan Girardi.

Meanwhile, the Rangers are struggling, and Tom Renney knows it. He said he started to watch the video of yesterday’s game on the plane ride home, and was so discouraged he had to turn it off midway through.

A familiar trend in hockey goes something like this:

Team wins a few games in a row. Team wins the last game of streak in less-than-convincing fashion. Team begins a losing streak.

The Rangers are not there yet since one loss on Wednesday does not constitute a slump. But if you think of the way this team played in a shootout win over the Senators on Monday, then you can understand why this trend could become a reality.

Today we’ll know. I expect a better start, and I expect the Rangers to pay greater attention to detail without Henrik Lundqvist in net. Beyond that, I make no promises.

Update, 2:30 p.m.: It doesn’t sound like Scott Gomez has made the progress needed to return by Monday. Or at least “that’s the way Tom Renney is framing it.”:thttp://njmg.typepad.com/rangersblog/2008/11/dont-count-on-monday-yet.html. Stay tuned…

Update, 4:40 p.m.: So there is something to that trend after all. Hello, losing streak. The Rangers look utterly adrift through two periods, with no sustained forecheck, no sense of urgency, and seemingly no confidence.

There’s no question that Jarkko Ruutu interfered with Stephen Valiquette on that third Ottawa goal. There’s also no question could be losing this game worse than 3-0 regardless.

Meanwhile, Scott Gomez isn’t a savior. But the Rangers clearly miss him.

More later…

According to everyone involved, it was the plan all along to have Stephen Valiquette start tomorrow in Ottawa. That it comes after Henrik Lundqvist allowed five goals to Vancouver appears to be only a case of curious timing.

I made the case yesterday that that game against the Canucks was an important step for Valiquette seeing how it was his first outing since allowing five third period goals to Toronto earlier this month. He agreed, but also said his confidence hadn’t wavered regardless.

“I guess I can say that I’m fortunate that it happened,” Valiquette said. “It’s nice to play. Practice has been great so I didn’t have any questions even the day after that game in Toronto. So it was right back to business with Benoit (Allaire). I felt confident going in against Vancouver. So as long as you know it, it comes naturally.”
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After undergoing two acupuncture treatments for his left ankle (in which he was admittedly squeamish) Scott Gomez made it through his first full practice without incident.. The plan is for Gomez to make the trip to Ottawa and skate before the game, but he definitely won’t play. Depending on how he recovers, Monday against the ‘Yotes is a possibility.

“I’m not in game shape. It’s still there, but it’s getting stronger,” Gomez said. “But it was a step forward to be able to practice for the first time.”
———
The difference between the Rangers’ slow starts and when they’ve been able to muster some kind of attack late? For lack of a better description, they’ve turned off their brains.
“Sometimes it’s when you decide, ‘It’s 4-0, let’s just go out and play,’ that’s when we’re at our best,” Chris Drury said. “It seems like that’s been our habit when we’re down.”

So how do you play that way right from the start? Good question.

The reality is it’s easy to get out of your own way when you’re behind in a game and you start to take more chances. It might be harder when you’re coming off a bad loss, and you don’t want to replicate the same mistakes.

Definitely something to watch tomorrow.

Update, 2:20 p.m.: For those wondering why Patrick Rissmiller was placed on waivers again today, it’s because players who are on waivers and not assigned have to be put through again after 30 days or 10 NHL games.

Although on a conditioning assignment in Hartford, Rissmiller had still not been assigned, and his period was up this weekend.

Should he clear again, the Rangers would have the ability to make a roster move without having to wait 24 hours.

Scott Gomez is back skating with the Rangers, albeit in a yellow, no-contact jersey.

More in a bit..

That imminent return of Brendan Shanahan apparently wasn’t so imminent. According to Chuck Gormley of the Courier-Post, the “Flyers are now wavering over bringing in the soon-to-be 40-year-old wing”:http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20081121/SPORTS04/811210353/1002/SPORTS, especially since the two parties are still a ways apart on salary.

Not only have they won three of four without Shanahan, they are one of several teams skittish about the salary cap this year and beyond. And then there’s the feeling that a presence like Shanahan’s isn’t needed in the locker room (of course, Knuble could be having flashbacks to two seasons ago, and is fearful he and Shanahan will collide during practice and again knock each out cold).

“I totally respect what Brendan can bring to a team and to a (locker) room,” Knuble said. “But I think we grew as a group last year. Would one guy be able to come in and change a lot of things? I don’t know. We don’t have one of those yeller-screamer personalities, but we have guys who step up and say the right things.”

———
The Rangers are on the ice at 10:30. Three questions of the day: Does Steve Valiquette on Saturday against the Senators? Does Scott Gomez return to the ice with his teammates (he skated on his own yesterday)? Does Tom Renney switch up his combinations after Wednesday or stand pat?
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I experienced a moment of solidarity with Gomez last night when I took a slap shot off the ankle in a game. Now I, too, can’t go end-to-end with a dramatic burst of speed.

Sure, I couldn’t do that beforehand, either, but why ruin the story?
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Our Facebook page now has a robust 394 members. I encourage “more of you to join here”:http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=56996970648&ref=mf. If we get to 400, I’m pretty sure I get a free toaster.

Thanks again to everyone for taking part in the video chat. For those who missed it, you can watch the replay below. If you watch enough, you’ll see me completely frazzled by an on-screen visitor. Let’s just say Morley Safer doesn’t have to worry.

A few of you had mentioned that you were trouble accessing the video. I’m told that you might need an upgrade of your flash player. But that’s about the extent of what I can offer in terms of technological advice. Either that or “just bang the computer a couple of times.” That can work, too.

Here’s “the link to follow for the video chat”:http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/99999999/MOGULUS0103/399990019, which will begin at 1:15.

I hope you can make it. We’ll again have a moderator to field your questions, and I hope to get as many as possible.

If you have comments or suggestions about the chat format, feel free to post them below.

Unfortunately I can’t do anything about being better looking. That isn’t covered in my paper’s budget.